The Lost Princess

by Richard Dee

  “Good luck with that,” she said. “Half the visitors are in police uniform. Take this.” She handed me an envelope. “It’s a statement, the proof that I couldn’t give your friend on the lookout. Now wet your hair.”

  “What?”

  The change of subject confused me. I jammed the envelope in my pocket. Why should I wet my hair?

  “Wet your hair,” she insisted. “The shower’s been on. Rules; you have to take a shower first. After is up to you. If you won’t I have to make you. Or I’ll be for it.”

  I pulled my shirt off and did what she asked, it would have looked strange otherwise, I didn’t want to give anyone another excuse to hurt her.

  “Nice abs,” she said. “I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you for money as well; but you can have something for it; if you want.” She made a suggestive gesture and started to undo her top.

  I shook my head, pulled my shirt back on and tucked it in. I wanted no more to do with this place, like Brian I was out of my depth. This wasn’t my idea of a good time. “No, thank you, don’t take it personally but this isn’t my type of place. How much?”

  She looked sad for a moment; as if the refusal meant that she was somehow inadequate. Then she pointed at a display on the wall, like a taxi meter. “It starts when you shut the door,” she explained. She pushed a button, the screen said five thousand, no extras. I handed the notes over and she opened the door, pulling my shirt out on one side.

  “For realism,” she said. “Watch yourself.”

  “Be safe,” I said. “I’ll try and get back to warn you.”

  “I’ll be here,” she said. I heard the sadness in her voice as the door closed behind me.

  I should have talked to Brian, to Hendrix, to anyone, but I didn’t. I was so incensed that Rina had been recaptured and returned to imprisonment, that Layla might be no more than twenty feet from where I stood. I had considered Igor to be rash in his actions, that he was more interested in revenge than his daughter, now I understood a bit more, I felt responsible for Rina. There was no way that I could shrug my shoulders, convince myself that I had satisfied my honour and gone home. I was going to finish this, make sure that the man responsible was brought to account.

  I managed to find a cab; to take me to the police headquarters. I wasn’t messing around with some local man, who was probably a customer of the club.

  I demanded to see a high-ranking officer, waved my press card around and hinted that I had been a victim of a crime and would tell everyone about it.

  After a very short wait, I was shown in to see the assistant commissioner, at least that was who I was told it was. He had enough braid to equip a battalion.

  “Now then Mr… Goram from Centra. What can Dalyster do for you? I understand that you’re not happy with something on our planet.”

  “That’s right, sir.” I had decided to be formal and polite, it would do no good to get agitated, especially as I was the foreigner here. “There’s a club I visited, I think someone’s in danger.”

  He nodded. “A lot of people visit our clubs, they are different from yours I expect. We have ways that you might find… strange. Have you been robbed, attacked?”

  “No,” I admitted. “I’ve been told that there is kidnapping and intimidation going on. I was shocked and concerned, it’s a place called Doppel, in Vicksville.”

  His mood changed. “That club has very important owners. There’s nothing we can do, especially for an off-worlder.” He looked me straight in the eye. “We know who you are, Mr Goram, and who you associate with on Centra.” He pronounced the name as an insult. I was starting to get angry. I looked around, breaking his stare. There was a photo of him with the Delegate, they were shaking hands. I realised that I was on a loser. The policeman had seen what I was looking at, as I turned back to him, he was smiling.

  “The Delegate is a good friend of Dalyster,” he said. “It’s unthinkable that he would be involved in anything so underhand, given his stance as a champion of children’s rights. Thank you for your time.”

  I realised that I had never mentioned his name or suggested that he had any involvement with the club.

  * * *

  We met up in the hotel, perhaps I should have taken Brian into the room or to the police with me after all.

  He was apologetic. “I’m sorry I walked out, Miles, but I couldn’t stick it in there. The casual way that it was run, I kept thinking about my kids. We couldn’t have afforded it together anyway. Talking to her, I mean,” he hastily added.

  “It’s fine, Brian, you’re not to worry. I talked to the girl, she gave me a statement.” I took the envelope out and gave it to him.

  “Thanks,” he said. “Have you read it?”

  “Not yet,” I answered. “I thought it might be better to keep it sealed until we can get it notarized. I went to the police headquarters on the way back.”

  “You did what? Was that wise?”

  “I thought so, at the time. I used my press card, said that I was concerned about the safety of a girl in the club. That I could kick up a fuss on Centra. It didn’t make any difference. I was told to mind my own business; the place wasn’t breaking any laws on Dalyster. I wasn’t to concern myself with local matters. Then I saw he had a picture of the Delegate on his wall.”

  “That’s bad. What do we do now?”

  “We need to get into that room and see if it is Layla in there. Or find some real evidence that we can go back to the police with.”

  “I guess,” Brian said. “I don’t think you should have revealed our hand though.”

  “You’re right, I was so wound up that I wasn’t thinking straight. It’s done now; we’ll have to make the best of it. I’m going out to make a call; I don’t want to use the hotel phone.”

  “Who are you speaking to?”

  “Igor gave me a number to contact if I was getting nowhere. I’m going to call for advice.”

  “Good luck with that,” he said. “I can’t wait to get off this rock.”

  I walked past the taxis and through the gates. I had seen a row of call boxes just outside. They were all empty; the first three were out of order, the last in the line was the only one with a dial tone. I waited while it rang, then had to push coins into a slot as it was answered.

  Toni Franciscus was the contact Igor had given me, I assumed that he was a businessman representing Balcom on Dalyster. Except that he wasn’t a he.

  “Hello, Miles,” she said when I got to speak to her. “Igor warned me that you might call. He’s told me the story. How can I help?”

  “I thought that Igor didn’t have a presence on Dalyster,” I said. “Isn’t he a wanted man over here?”

  She laughed. “Some would say he’s an unwanted man, he’s certainly not the flavour of the month. I handle his affairs, through nominees, it’s how things work on Dalyster. The difference here is always between what the people see and what happens underneath.”

  A little like the Delegate, I thought but I didn’t say that. “I’m having trouble with the law,” I said. I told her what I had found, stressed again that it was all circumstantial.

  “I suppose you’re getting nowhere with them,” she said.

  “That’s right, despite what I’ve told them, they seem to think that Mattias is clean. I have a statement from a witness, someone who was working at the club against their will.” I felt for the envelope in my pocket. It wasn’t there. I remembered that I had given it to Brian.

  “I’m not surprised,” she said. “It’s good that you have evidence. Make sure you get it back to Centra and show it to the federal police there. They’re less corrupt than ours. I’ve received instructions from Igor. I just have to pay someone a little bit more than he’s getting from the Delegate. As soon as I’ve done that, things will happen. The club will get a visit.”

  “How long will it take?”

  “Within the next couple of days. Get back to the club and stake it out. Be ready to get some pictures when it all goes down. Clea
r out of your hotel. How many of you are there?”

  “Just two of us.”

  “That’s OK. I’ll leave tickets for you both, in your name, for the ship back to Centra. You can pick them up at the port.”

  I thanked her and walked back to the hotel. When I arrived, I saw our taxi driver, in the line where he had been this morning. He waved me over. I got in and he pulled sharply away, through the gates and into the traffic.

  “Are you alright?” he asked.

  “Sure, what’s going on?” I had a sudden thought, what if he was police or connected with the Delegate in some way?

  “Your friend, he’s been taken, by the secret police. I saw it happen. I think they’re watching your room. You need to disappear.”

  “Why are you helping me?” I asked as we swerved deeper and deeper into the backstreets. I just hoped the driver was on the level and not one of the people who had taken Brian.

  “Because,” he said simply. “Dalyster has a reputation. It’s not a bad place but that’s not the impression we send out. The police are corrupt, our Delegate is crooked. I know he talks a good job, whiter than white and it suits everyone to pretend that he’s engaged in a battle with the authorities. The truth is, he’s one of the establishment. He gives the regime a good name, that’s his function. When you mentioned the Doppel Club, it all made sense. It was the perfect way to bring him down. So I’m helping, for all the people that place has hurt.”

  “All my gear’s gone, except for what I’m stood up in.”

  “Don’t worry about that, I can let you have a disguise, all the things you need.”

  “Can I trust you?” I asked. He laughed.

  “Do you have a choice? Look, I’m not secret police; if that’s what you’re worried about. The trouble with Dalyster is that the people have no control. They see what happens if you have money and what happens if you don’t. And we’ve been persuaded that we can’t do anything about it.”

  Brev took me back to the club, parking around a corner. Together we walked along the street on the opposite side to the club. We saw every filled doorway. The best location for filming the entrance was a deeply recessed entrance opposite the gate and slightly higher. The only trouble was, it was already taken.

  “What do you want?” asked the present occupant, struggling to his feet. He was a tall but painfully thin man in a ragged uniform, straight-backed, swaying slightly. It looked like he hadn’t eaten for a while.

  “We’re looking for a pitch,” Brev said.

  “Well you can’t have this one, clear off,” he said belligerently. “You might be local but who’s the guy with you? He looks like some rich bloke who’s never had trouble in his life.”

  “Take it easy,” Brev said. “He’s a reporter, from off-world. He’s after the people who run the club over there, they’ve got someone he knows and he’s trying to rescue them.” The man moved towards me, I stepped back. The effort proved too much for him and he started to fall. Brev grabbed him and helped him to sit.

  “Stay here,” Brev said. “I’m going back to the cab, I have food and water. I’ll be a minute.” I wasn’t too keen on being alone with him; even in his feeble state the man was clearly primed to protect his pitch.

  “Are you OK?” I asked. “My friend has just gone to get you water.”

  “What do you care? You’re rich.”

  “I’m not your enemy,” I answered. “I’m just here to help get someone back. That club has caused a lot of misery and I want it to end. If I can do what I’ve planned, a lot of people will be happy.”

  The man’s expression changed. “So that’s a club? I sit here and watch,” he said. “I see them all go in and out and wonder what they get up to in there. What sort of club?”

  I was about to tell him when Brev returned, he had bottled water and a bag of food. He handed it over and we watched as it was demolished.

  “Thank you,” said the man, wiping crumbs from his beard. “That’s the first food I’ve had for three days.”

  This man’s plight had affected me, almost as much as Cyn’s had. The system on Dalyster was rotten to the core. “Can I ask why are you here?” I said. Beside me, Brev shook his head.

  “I wouldn’t normally say, you never know who you’re talking to,” he answered. “But I’ll make an exception. I’m a qualified engineer. I learnt it in the military; everyone has to do five years, it’s partly to indoctrinate us and partly to keep us off the streets, there’s little enough work.”

  “But I thought this was a rich planet?” I replied.

  “Oh it is, but the wealth is all in the hands of a few, the ones in charge. They keep it to themselves. They restrict production, to keep prices high, they export things that we need for ourselves; we get all the dregs that are leftover.”

  “How did you end up here?”

  “I was all set up to get a job in a mine; I said the wrong thing, at the wrong time. Once you’re down, it’s very hard to get back up again.” That was as true here as it was anywhere. I was going to offer to pay him to use his pitch, but I realised that would be seen as an insult. I had to make it into a business deal.

  “Can I rent your sleeping bag and pitch?” I asked. “You could get a hotel room, a decent meal, whatever. I’d be really grateful.”

  His face lit up. “Really?”

  “Sure.” I handed him half the notes that I had left in the roll. He counted them. “You can’t give me all this,” he said. “It’s far too much. I can get off-planet with this.”

  I had an idea, gave him one of my cards. “Go to Centra then, find a man called Expressway Dave, everyone knows him. Tell him Miles Goram sent you and he’ll get you sorted.”

  “Thanks,” he said, shaking my hand. “I won’t waste this chance.” He shuffled away and I wondered if he would just go around the corner and laugh at the stupid off-worlder and then fritter all Igor Balcom’s money away. I didn’t even know his name.

  “Do you think I wasted my money?” I asked Brev.

  He avoided my question. “I’ll bring you some food and stuff over,” said Brev. “Get you comfortable.”

  “Can you get me a video camera?” I asked. “Mine was at the hotel.” I reached for my money, there was precious little left.

  “Keep your money. I’ll be back,” he said.

  He was as good as his word. An hour later he returned. As well as a good quality camera, he had food packs, a portable toilet and some bottled water. He also left me a boiler suit to change into. “Keep your clothes neat for your getaway,” he suggested. Again, I tried to pay him but he wouldn’t take my money. “Just make sure you nail the bastard, that’ll be payment enough,” he said. “And if you want my advice, don’t go back to your hotel when you’ve done here. Head off-world as quick as you can.”

  “What about my friend?” I asked. “I can’t just leave him here.”

  “All you’ll do is join him. Get to Centra and kick up a fuss with the Feds, it’s the only way you’ll get him back.”

  With everything set, I settled down to wait for whatever Toni had organised.

  And that was where you came in.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Centra

  It had been surprisingly easy to leave Dalyster. I had waited until the middle of the night, climbed out of the sleeping bag, changed and walked away. My clothes were slightly crumpled but not as bad as they could have been. I flagged down a cab to the port. That was where I expected to be grabbed, but it was quiet, the departure building was deserted except for a few cleaners.

  I went to the only open ticket desk, showed my ID card to the sleepy attendant and was given two tickets for the next ship, due to depart on the following day. I wasn’t bothered about the wait; I got myself space-side just as quickly as I could.

  As I passed through the border patrol, I had to show the contents of my pockets. They looked with interest at my cameras, as if someone as poor looking as me could possibly have such equipment. I was expecting a demand for export
tax or some other attempt to wring a few more notes from my pocket. Instead, there was a brief flash of light. “What was that?” I asked. The guard looked at me; as if I was questioning his authority.

  “Exit photograph, Mr Goram. Have a good trip,” said one of them. They handed my documents and cameras back, then I was free to go.

  Thanks to Brev’s generosity I still had money. I used it to buy a shower, some gear for the trip and a good meal.

  I also got a copy of the local news, there was nothing about Brian, but there had been a fire at our hotel. It seemed that someone had been smoking in bed and had set light to his bedding. Half the building was destroyed; there were reports of several casualties. No names were given. I realised that I hadn’t even taken a chance to find anything out about Brian, I didn’t know if he was still in custody. He might have been deported and on his way home. I hoped so.

  I tried to call Toni several times for news, I was told she was unavailable. I left a message with Hendrix, I couldn’t face talking to him. I just told him the bare facts. I was coming home, Layla wasn’t with me and Brian was in custody. Guiltily, I took my place on the shuttle.

  Right on time, we lifted off and after a short flight, we docked with the cruiser, in orbit above the planet. These interstellar ships never landed, they just followed a circular route between the planets, serviced by shuttles at each stop. At every turn, the word Balcom was emblazoned on the ships, this was what they did, built the threads that connected us all together. It was a constant reminder of my failings.

  It was a relief to be away from Dalyster and on my way home. The trouble was, the more I thought about it, the more guilt I felt. Even though it might have been futile and resulted in my arrest, I had left Brian to fend for himself, without even trying to see what had happened to him. He had the statement from Cyn, the only proof that there was of any wrongdoing. The one thing that comforted me was that I hadn’t promised anyone that Layla was in the club. It had only ever been a possibility. Hendrix and the lawyer had seen that. Igor had been overconfident, he had made me go. They would all back me up. At least I had the pictures and video.